MEDIEVAL CHINA Historical Fantasy. Book ONE of series "Trials of the Middle Kingdom" Follow a legendary swordsman and a political cabal of vigilantes known as the "Martial Scholars" as they investigate the maritime arrival of a powerful and mysterious nonhuman military force. After they conduct an investigation on the foreigners, they discover the truth about their agenda and unmask a conspiracy against the emperor and the entire Ming Empire. Through careful planning and utilization of their deep network, they succeed in warning the emperor who then prepares the nation for the possibility of war. First however, he must quell the Underworld where rebel groups and secret societies have risen against him, and conspire with the nonhuman foreigners to create a new world order. Together with a motley crew of misfits, the legendary swordsman ventures into the Underworld to discover the deeper plans of the enemy. His new friend, an enigmatic sage insists that the real battle is, in fact, a spiritual one, and that victory lies only through following the will of Heaven.